The Higher Education Review

As an instrument of social control as well as social change, legal education is imperative to create cultured law-abiding citizens. Inculcated with the concept of human rights and values which is the essential medium of change, a legal professional is a godsend for society as he works for the benefit and prosperity of society by appealing justice on behalf of his client in the court of law.

With a mission to craft such talented and young professionals who can emerge as a beacon of hope for the upcoming generation of lawyers and legal professionals, Christ Academy Institute of Law (CAIL) has emerged as one of the most sought-after podiums of legal education as of now.

Dedicated to Jesus Christ, who is the guiding light to every individual whoever is a part of the dedicated academic community, CAIL draws its inspiration from Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara, the founder of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI). Taking up this noble endeavor to provide quality education to the budding legal professionals of tomorrow irrespective of caste, creed, or religion, CAIL promises its students the best of contemporary learning through premium pedagogical methods, peer learning environments, and campus infrastructure.

Introducing Innovative Legal Reforms
As one of the finest Catholic Institutions in the country, CAIL grooms its students to attend three things, deeper knowledge of the subject, integrity of the character, and lastly, become socially oriented as well as proud citizens of the country. "That is why we engage in high-quality research and innovative pedagogy merged with experiential learning along with a focused disciplinary approach. Igniting the cause of justice in the

minds of our students has always been the motto of our institution," states Fr. Dr. Davis Panadan Varghese CMI, Principal, CAIL.

He further adds, "We aim to be a leading-edge center of global excellence in legal education, research, and policy analysis. With a vision to introduce innovative legal reforms necessary to effectively serve the needs of the common people in the country, we are guided by India's core constitutional values to deliver socially engaged legal education, meeting the highest global academic and professional standards”.

As a promoter of transformation across the legal education segment of India, CAIL fosters market-ready competencies amongst its students by the virtue of its advanced academic infrastructure coupled with cut-ting-edge curriculum, learning resources, and skill centers. The moot courts of CAIL are often regarded as the best ones in the country at present by many legal stalwarts.

Starting from Legal Aid Clinics to localize legal education, to a Center for Law and environment, a Shakespearean drama club, and a National Service scheme, to ensure that students are remaining aligned with the ground reality of the country, CAIL has been demonstrating an incessant zeal to refurbish the conventional legal education system of the country. As of now, CAIL offers three five-year integrated programs. The first one is B.A.

LLB with political science as the major along with Sociology as the first minor and Economics as the second minor. The second one is B.B.A. LL.B which is the amalgamation of Commerce and Business Administration, as well as of course, Legal Studies. And then the third one is the B.Com. LLB program which exposes students to the field of accounting, auditing and management, and human resource information systems.

Guided by research-oriented faculties with an interdisciplinary approach, the students of CAIL get the opportunity to vividly experience the present day nuances of both legal and non-legal industry segments.

Standing Out from Other Legal Educational Institutions
CAIL ensures a comprehensive network that includes business firms and research institutions to help students find the most suitable internships and placements that can align with their capabilities. Tirelessly focusing to address the existing gap between the law education segment with a well-structured internship, CAIL has made it compulsory for the students to have an internship with either a national or international NGO after the completion of their first semester to get the experience of the people and the ground realities of the country.
Apart from this, CAIL is the only institution in the country having a judicial service training program as a part of its curriculum. The institution also stands apart from other legal educational institutions across the country owing to its sustainable development program.

”Igniting the cause of justice in the minds of our students has always been the motto of our institution”

Under this unique initiative, CAIL has adopted five villages and encourages each student to spend a minimum of 10 days in the villages to evaluate the people's growth, analyze the environment, and then study the culture, before submitting a detailed report to the college. Reflecting on the future endeavors of CAIL, Fr. Dr. Davis Panadan Varghese CMI, quotes, "We are planning to groom the Judicial Service Training Academy and simultaneously focusing on the village lawyering as well as village sustainably program. Apart from that, we are also planning to translate our curriculum into Kannada to help more students from the rural areas of Karnataka. Since 2019, we have been organizing international conferences, majorly focusing on law, environment, and ethics.

In the future, we are gearing up to contribute more towards this vision as well. In the upcoming two years, we are planning to start with the LL.M program, Ph.D. program, and a semester abroad module. Simultaneously, we are also striving towards achieving our autonomous status and then shall be University”.